Nikkei “Apple is negotiating with at least 6 automakers”
Honda, Nissan, and Mazda “cannot comment”
Only Mitsubishi revealed “no such facts”
Apple car imagination (Source: Hankyung DB)
Regarding Apple’s advance into self-driving electric vehicles, reports have reported that at least six automakers, including Japanese, are negotiating with Apple for consignment production.
The Nippon Geizai Shimbun reported on the 5th that “(Apple) is in negotiations with at least six automakers,” citing an official from Apple’s parts supplier. The official said, “It is a stage in which Apple is negotiating with which company to entrust the consignment production.”
On the 3rd, CNBC reported that Hyundai and Kia are in final negotiations with Apple to produce the self-driving electric vehicle’Apple Car’. Kia Motors shares surged 53.3% this year, reaching the highest level since the 1997 International Monetary Fund (IMF) financial crisis.
Japanese car makers are attracting attention because Apple operates the Apple Technology Center, a research base in Yokohama. The newspaper reported that Apple is increasing its contacts with Japanese automakers and parts makers through the Apple Technology Center.
Honda and Mazda replied, “We can’t comment,” as to whether they received an offer from Apple. Nissan Motors avoided comments. Only Mitsubishi Motors denied that “there is no such fact.”
An executive of a large automaker said it was “interesting” without mentioning whether it received an offer from Apple. On the other hand, a representative of an auto parts maker said, “I have never heard of Apple’s electric vehicle related information from Toyota or Honda.”
Ming-chi Guo, a researcher at Taiwan TF International Securities, who is familiar with Apple’s news, also recently suggested the possibility that multiple automakers would be selected as Apple’s consignment manufacturers, saying, “In addition to Hyundai Motors, GM and Peugeot-Citroin will also be subject to Apple car collaboration.”
However, regardless of who will be in charge of the consignment production, Apple’s entry into the electric vehicle business will shake the existing ecosystem of the automobile industry, as car industry officials are convinced. It is said that the game in the industry in which the pyramid-type system is established will be completely changed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd subcontractors centering on the automakers.
An automobile industry official said, “It will not be easy to make a decision because the automakers at the peak of the pyramid will become the de facto subcontractors of large IT companies.”
Tokyo = correspondent Jeong Young-hyo [email protected]
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